The present invention relates to a system for remotely programming options of a vehicle and for communicating with the vehicle.
As vehicle electronic systems and options become more sophisticated, vehicle owners have many new options for vehicle accessories from which to choose. In recent years it has been proposed to allow the vehicle owner to selectively control the operation of vehicle options through vehicle programming systems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,990 issued on Aug. 20, 1991, for example, discloses one system in which selected vehicle options can be programmed by the vehicle operator. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/567,390, filed Aug. 14, 1990, and entitled ELECTRICAL CONTROL SYSTEM FOR VEHICLE OPTIONS also discloses a system in which a variety of vehicle options can be selected by the vehicle operator from the vehicle itself. Parent application Ser. No. 07/467,541, entitled VEHICLE SYSTEMS CONTROL, filed on Jan. 19, 1990; now U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,182 and U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 07/685,880, entitled MODULAR MIRROR WITH ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES, filed Apr. 15, 1991, now abandoned, also disclose electrical systems in which a variety of options can be selected and controlled by the vehicle operator.
These systems present a significant advance over present option availability in which a vehicle is ordered with pre-installed options which typically cannot be changed by the vehicle operator. As vehicle electronics become more sophisticated, the vehicle itself can include the electrical controls and circuits for multiple options at a relatively low cost. The electrical circuits, which typically include a microprocessor, can be selectively programmed, as described in the above identified patent applications, to change the selected options for different vehicle operators under the control of the vehicle operator. There exists a need, however, for vehicle owners and operators who are not electrically or mechanically inclined to be able to have such selectable options activated or deactivated without the inconvenience of a service visit to the car dealership.
Vehicles have also become more important in conducting business where, in recent years, advances in telephone communications between a vehicle and land based telephone systems have allowed quality communications between a vehicle operator and land based facilities. As a result of such advances, it is now possible in many areas to communicate directly with the vehicle operator via telephone links. Most vehicles, however, do not include telephones as part of an original installation and require subsequent post-purchase installation and monthly charges as well as on-line charges which can become somewhat prohibitive. As a result, there exists a need for an electronic communication system which allows inexpensive one-way communication with a vehicle and means in a vehicle for receiving and displaying to the vehicle operator the receipt of information in a variety of forms.